Singapore-flagged cargo ship catches fire off Kerala coast

Both Indian and Singaporean maritime authorities have been informed of the present situation of the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Wan Hai 503, which caught fire close to the Kerala coast. India’s Ministry of Shipping has contacted BSM for more information as the ship is now being closely monitored.

Authorities have expressed concern about the cargo since initial reports indicate that 157 containers on board may contain highly combustible hazardous items, such as gunpowder, lithium batteries, turpentine, and different acids. Just 44 nautical miles from the scene of the incident, an official at Azhikkal Port stated that they had received warnings concerning four types of hazardous materials, including chemicals that are prone to spontaneous combustion. A thorough inventory of the contents of the container has not yet been made public by the corporation in charge of the vessel.

The fire and explosion occurred on the international shipping route between Azhikkal and Beypore. The Singaporean ship, en route from Colombo to Navi Mumbai, met with the accident around 9:30 am. The Indian Navy and Coast Guard rescued 18 people, including the captain. Four crew members remain missing, and five suffered burns, two critically. The injured, along with other crew members, are likely to be taken to Mangalore. The shipping company has contacted private hospitals in Kannur and Kozhikode. Ambulances and other facilities are ready at Beypore and Azhikode ports.

The Kozhikode Collector confirmed that instructions have been issued to officials to be prepared to receive the injured. Notifications have been sent to Elathur, Beypore, and Vadakara coastal police stations; Kozhikode city and rural police stations; the Port Officer of Fisheries, Kozhikode, Koyilandy, and Vadakara TEOs. The health department has also been alerted for medical assistance.

The Indian Coast Guard has deployed three interceptor boats from Kochi and more teams from Beypore to bring the situation under control. The Navy has deployed Dornier helicopters to the site. The 20-year-old ship, which has a length of 268.8 metres and 32.3 metres, was coming from Colombo. It was reportedly moving at a speed of 14 nautical miles.

The Mumbai-bound Singapore ship was due to unload its containers onto a mother ship at the Nhava Sheva port. This comes more than two weeks after the Liberian container ship MSC ELSA 3 sank off the Ernakulam-Alappuzha coast in Kerala. The 184-metre-long ship was sailing from Vizhinjam to Cochin Port when it tilted 26 degrees to the starboard side, around 38 nautical miles southwest of the Kochi coast. In 2021, a container ship, MSC Messina, en route from Colombo to Singapore, caught fire in the Indian Ocean.